My head is spinning off my shoulders! My goal is to go into private practice as a prescribing clinician who specialized in psychiatry.

What is the difference between a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and a Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist?

Also, I won't be done by 2015, is that law going into effect saying I need a DNP to prescribe?

Please help!

This is my goal as well. Go with the NP speciality. There is no mandate about the DNP. Numerous schools still offer PMHNP at master's level. I'm going for it IF I'm accepted I won't be done by 2015 either. Some schools are changing to the DNP level so you might want to check on schools that don't require that unless you want the DNP. I personally do not. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

Thank you both for your comments! I am looking into online schools. I hear bad things about USA south alabama. I am having a difficult time finding other online programs that fit my needs. It doesn't help that I really really don't want to sit for the GRE's.

Just take the GRE. It's not so bad. It pains me to keep reading posts from people who are basing where they want to go (an extremely important decision, btw) because they are afraid of taking a standardized test. Nursing is a strange field.

Oh, thank you both mtsteelhorse and myelin for your response. I have seen some of your previous post in other topics and really value your input.

Mtsteelhorse, I have research the schools you have suggested and they (University of North Dakota, Montana State University) really do fit my needs actually, low per credit tuition, no GRE required, no clinicals required in certain states, and they have video and interactive learning, which I think will work good for me.

That being said with taking into your input myelin, are these bad schools? I know you said it matters where I go. I really don't want to pay say $80,000 for say the Vanderbilt program, but don't want to go to a low reputable school. I have never heard anything bad about these schools....any suggestions or things I should keep in mind/research?

Oh, thank you both mtsteelhorse and myelin for your response. I have seen some of your previous post in other topics and really value your input.

Mtsteelhorse, I have research the schools you have suggested and they (University of North Dakota, Montana State University) really do fit my needs actually, low per credit tuition, no GRE required, no clinicals required in certain states, and they have video and interactive learning, which I think will work good for me.

That being said with taking into your input myelin, are these bad schools? I know you said it matters where I go. I really don't want to pay say $80,000 for say the Vanderbilt program, but don't want to go to a low reputable school. I have never heard anything bad about these schools....any suggestions or things I should keep in mind/research?

Thank you both again for helping me out.

I live in the neck of the woods where these schools are located. I guarantee they are high quality institutions. One of the FNPs I work with went to MSU. UND is super, also. They only reason I didn't apply to those schools is the DNP criteria. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either one...both excellent.

First, I don't think going to a good school means necessarily having to shell out 80k! Not at all! In fact, many lesser programs (often for-profits) have crazy tuition rates, so cost of a program doesn't necessarily relate to quality.

Also, I didn't mean to seem like I was going after you. It's not just you, it's just the attitude about nursing education that disturbs me, that I see over and over again on this forum. People seem to value how easy a program is to get into, how flexible it is, etc., way over the actual quality of the program. As we know, NP programs vary widely. This isn't med school or PA school, where the coursework and standards are pretty much the same across the board (and not surprisingly, those programs also all require standardized testing for admission). There are a lot of crappy NP programs out there. I think it leads people to not respect our field. Not to mention making it easy to go to NP school gluts the market which drives salaries down, and let's be real, there are a lot of NP programs that are very easy to gain admission to.

If I were you, I'd look into where I was interested in practicing. Then I'd apply to the most reputable institutions in that area. Stay away from degree mills or for-profit schools. Those programs (Drexel, UND, etc.) listed all sound solid and are at real universities, which is great (and also makes my previous paragraph kind of tangential and a bit of a rant, hehe). Ultimately, what I want to say is that I think it's silly to let your fear of the GRE prevent you from applying to other solid programs you may be interested in. Plus, have faith in yourself! You can kick the GRE's butt if you put your mind to it. It's not so bad and I don't get why so many nurses are scared of the GRE?? It's an odd trend.

myelin, you make some excellent points and I totally agree about the quality of the program. That's very important to me as well. Definitely avoid the diploma mills. Some colleges are private and excellent..like SLU. I think my fear of the GRE is the math. I am very weak in math and the thought of that exam makes my hands sweat! But, the GRE is just one aspect of the application process. Recommendations are very important, as is the application essay. I think a person has to find the right fit for them. I'm glad we live in a country that blesses us with so many options! I only listed schools I know to be well respected. Tuition varies considerably across the nation. Good luck!

You're right, the GRE is a relatively small part of a person's application - and that's why it pains me to see people not even considering programs because of it! Hehe. The vast majority of nursing schools just want to make sure you do "alright" on the GRE and even if you don't, if you have strong letters, background, etc. you should be fine. The GRE math is annoying, but really, it's all about learning the little tricks, just buy a GRE workbook and you'll be fine. Anyway, I encourage people to not let a silly standardized test to stand in the way of attending many fine NP programs.

definitely the NP. (dnp's wont matter until states mandate it as the minimum req. to practice, and until recently some didnt even req the masters. some states still allow PA's and NP's with certificates to practice. )

the aanc is changing the psych np to a family psychiatric mental health NP credential. get a school that has already changed over, so if your adult or child psych lapses you wont be screwed! vanderbilt, drexel, (and others) are flexible and have a good name and offer family psych np. good luck!